The bong bombshell is all set to play a double role for the second time after Dhoom 2

Bipasha Basu will soon be seen in a double role with a twist. In a first-of-its-kind role in a Hindi film for an actor, she will play conjoined twins in the adaptation of the Thai horror Alone (tentative title). In the past, real life twin brothers Raghu and Rajiv (of Roadies fame) have played conjoined twins in Tees Maar Khan.

Bipasha’s film is about a pair of twins who are conjoined before their birth and how one becomes an evil spirit while one is sweet and protective of the other. Bipasha will have two very different and distinct looks styled by Shyamli Arora. The actor says, “It’s a very challenging film because I play conjoined twins who are very similar to each other but absolutely different characters. It’s emotional, the characters are complex and layered.” She begins shoot from June 20, and is currently researching on conjoined twins. “I am studying documentaries on them.”

What are conjoined twins?

They are identical twins who have been joined in the uterus and are rare. The occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 200,000 births. They are classified by the point at which their bodies are joined. Bipasha in Alone is a thoracopagus conjoined twin where the two bodies are fused from the upper thorax to lower belly with the heart being always involved in these cases.

Films on conjoined twins

Suriya played conjoined twins in Tamil film Maattraan. Priyamani played conjoined twins in the Tamil and Kannada horror film Charulatha.

Hollywood did it too

Stuck On You is a 2003 comedy flick starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins. Both the brothers are quite literally joined at the hip. Their escapades give rise to conflicts and also provide comic relief.

Double Dhamaka

Bipasha has done twin roles before as sisters Monali and Shonali in Dhoom 2. But the siblings had no scenes together.

Queen director Vikas Bahl was planning a conjoined twins film with Salman Khan but it never took off.

Conjoined twins are the current favourite film characters in Kollywood it would seem

Even as the Suriya-starrer Maattrraan is awaited, Charulathadirected by Pon Kumaran has hit the screens. The filmmaker, who’s previously worked with K Bhagyaraj and K S Ravikumar, has chosen to veer off the beaten path and has plumped for a thriller. Inspired by Thai film Alone, the movie has some spine-chilling moments interspersed with spirits, revenge and romance. The director has stuck to a minimal number of characters in an apparent bid to keep things simple. He has made a good attempt, but the predictable storyline is a let-down.

Priyamani, who plays the title roles and is making her way back into Kollywood after a hiatus, comes up with a stellar performance. Her presence makes even the dull moments watchable. She occupies the whole of the film and carries it entirely on her shoulders, while underlining her immense acting prowess. The others in the cast, including the protagonist Skanda, Saranya Ponvannan and Seetha add strength to the film.

The storyline goes thus: Charu and Latha (both played by Priyamani) are conjoined twins. Charu lives with a sense of guilt that her twin sister was separated from her through surgery. A few years after her sister’s death, Charu returns to her native place. There she encounters the spirit of her dead sister, who is looking to kill her. Charu is driven to the edge as she tries to save herself. Her fiance Karthik (Skanda) comes to her rescue. But he too faces Latha’s wrath. There is a twist in the tale towards the climax, which adds some interest to Charulatha.

The numerous sub-plots detract from the story and you cannot help thinking the suspense element is missing. The visual effects work though, and Sundar C Babu has come up with a score that helps the film. Charulatha is a novel attempt, but could have been executed better.

A few days back Hansika Motwani got her account verified on the popular microblogging site

Following suit, Charulathaactor, Priyamani is now on Twitter with an official account.

Verification of accounts means the profiles in questions are owned by the respective celebrities and have not been created by pranksters – a practice that is widely prevalent these days. Expressing happiness on Twitter verifying her account, Priyamani wrote on her microblogging page: “Yayyyy finally got my account verified….happy!!!!”

Meanwhile, Priyamani is excited that her much awaited Charulatha is gearing up for release. The film has her playing conjoined twins. It has been made in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Priyamani who is currently filming Charulatha is all set to play a crucial part in Malayalam director Subil’s Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal

The National Award winning actor seems to be on a roll. After hitting the jackpot with the unusual role of conjoined twins in an upcoming film titled Charulatha, Priyamani will also be seen in Malayalam film Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal.According to the Subil, Priyamani will do an all important role in his movie, which has a unique storyline and will be a tribute to comedians in the industry. Meanwhile, the Southern sultry is busy working on Charulatha, which is being made simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Stills from the movie which were recently released to the media clearly indicated the effort Priyamani is putting into the role.

Inspired by the 2007 Thai movie Alone, which had Thai-German pop singer Marsha Wattanapanich in the lead role, Charulatha is being directed by Pon Kumaran, a former associate of K Bhagyaraj and KS Ravikumar. While everyone has been praising Priyamani for her efforts in the movie, the actor gives the credit to her body double in the movie, Deepika. Now isn’t that just sweet!